This Day In Wrestling History – April 4th

Happy birthday to Impact Wrestling’s Laurel Van Ness!

1977 – Ric Flair defeats Rufus R. Jones, to win the NWA Television Championship.

1983 – David Von Erich defeats Jimmy Garvin, to win the NWA Texas Heavyweight Championship for the 6th time.

1984 – Jack & Jerry Brisco defeat Wahoo McDaniel & Mark Youngblood, to win the NWA (Mid-Atlantic) World Tag Team Championship.

1988 – Pierroth Jr. defeats El Halcon ’78, to win the Mexican National Light Heavyweight Championship.

1993 – WrestleMania IX is held in Las Vegas, in front of 16,891 fans.  It’s the first WrestleMania to be held outdoors.  It is also remembered for the event being themed as ‘The World’s Largest Toga Party,” as it took place at Caesar’s Palace.

Dark Match:
– Tito Santana defeats Papa Shango.
PPV:
– Tatanka (with Sherri Martel) defeats Shawn Michaels (with Luna Vachon) via countout.  Michaels retains the WWF Intercontinental Championship.
– The Steiner Brothers (Rick & Scott) defeat The Headshrinkers (Fatu & Samu) (with Afa).
– Doink The Clown defeats Crush.
– Razor Ramon defeats Bob Backlund.
– Money Inc. (Ted DiBiase & IRS) retain the WWF Tag Team Championship, after defeating The Mega-Maniacs (Hulk Hogan & Brutus Beefcake) (with Jimmy Hart) via disqualification.
– Lex Luger defeats Mr. Perfect.
– The Undertaker (with Paul Bearer) defeats Giant Gonzalez (with Harvey Wippleman) via disqualification, in a match considered one of the worst in WWF/E history.
– Yokozuna (with Mr. Fuji) defeats Bret Hart to win the WWF Championship.  Hulk Hogan had previously said he wanted to face the winner of this match, and is challenged by Mr. Fuji to face Yokozuna in an impromptu championship match.  Hogan agrees.  Mr. Fuji attempts to throw salt at Hogan’s eyes.  But he misses and hits Yokozuna instead.  Hogan delivers the leg drop, and gets the pinfall, to become the first 5-time WWF Champion.  The Hogan vs Yokozuna match only lasted 22 seconds.

1994 – Tatsumi Fujinami defeats Shinya Hashimoto, to win the IWGP Heavyweight Championship for the 5th time.

1998 – Tatsumi Fujinami defeats Kensuke Sasaki, to win the IWGP Heavyweight Championship for the 6th time.

2000 – Shawn Michaels comes out of retirement, and defeats Venom, in a street fight, to win the Texas Wrestling Alliance (TWA) Heavyweight Championship.  This is the culmination of a long storyline between the two.  Michaels would immediately vacate the championship, and go back into retirement.

2001 – ECW is declared bankrupt, and the promotion ceases operations.  This comes a week after WCW had officially ceased operations after being bought out by the WWF.  Several ECW (and WCW) stars would reappear during the summer of 2001, during the WWF “Invasion.”

2001 – In Combat Zone Wrestling, Nate Hatred & Nick Cage defeat Justice Pain & Wifebeater, to win the CZW World Tag Team Championship.

2002 – On this evening’s SmackDown, Billy Kidman defeats Tajiri, to win the WWF Cruiserweight Championship.

2009 – Ring of Honor’s Take No Prisoners is held at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston, in front of 2,700 fans.  The pay-per-view was taped and did not air on television until June 12th.

Dark Matches:
– Ernie Osiris defeats Grizzly Redwood.
– In a Six-Man Tag Team Match, Bobby Dempsey, Andy Ridge, & Alex Payne defeat Darin Childs, Don Juan, & Mike Dell.
– Rhett Titus defeats Bushwhacker Luke.
PPV:
– Colt Cabana defeats Ace Steel.
– In an 8-Man Tag Team Match, the team of Jay Briscoe, El Generico, Magno, & Kevin Steen defeat Sweet n’ Sour Inc. (Davey Richards, Chris Hero, & Eddie Edwards), and Incognito.
– Necro Butcher defeats Jimmy Jacobs, in a No Disqualification Match.
– Brent Albright defeats Claudio Castagnoli and Blue Demon Jr, in a Triple Threat Match.
– Roderick Strong defeats Alex Koslov.
– In a Four Corners Survival Match, Jerry Lynn defeats Bryan Danielson, Erick Stevens, and D-Lo Brown, to retain the ROH World Championship.
– KENTA & Tyler Black defeat Austin Aries & Katsuhiko Nakajima.

2009 – The annual WWE Hall of Fame Ceremony is held at the Toyota Center in Houston.  The Class of 2009 is listed below.

– “Stone Cold” Steve Austin (inducted by Vince McMahon)
– Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat (inducted by Ric Flair)
– “Cowboy” Bill Watts (inducted by Jim Ross)
– Koko B Ware (inducted by Honky Tonk Man)
– Terry Funk (inducted by Dusty Rhodes)
– Dory Funk Jr (inducted by Dusty Rhodes)
– The Von Erich Family (inducted by Michael Hayes)
– Howard Finkel (inducted by Gene Okerlund)

2011 – The first episode of the revived Tough Enough series airs on USA Network, after this evening’s WWE RAW.  The show was hosted by Stone Cold Steve Austin;  Bill DeMott, Trish Stratus, and Booker T served as trainers.

2011 – Jon Moxley, who had been performing for Dragon Gate USA, signs a developmental deal with WWE.  Moxley is better know today as Dean Ambrose.

2014 – At Ring of Honor’s Supercard of Honor VIII, Jay Lethal defeats Tommaso Ciampa, to win the ROH World Television Championship (Two-out-of-Three Falls Match).

2016 – On Monday Night RAW, The Miz defeats Zack Ryder, to win the WWE Intercontinental Championship.  Maryse (Miz’s new manager) made her return to WWE;  she had been released by the company in October 2011.  Vince McMahon allows his son Shane to run RAW for the night (thinking Shane would produce a “disaster”).  Shane would won complete control of RAW had he been able to defeat The Undertaker, inside Hell in a Cell, at WrestleMania 32.  This evening’s episode featured the main roster debuts of Apollo Crews, Enzo Amore, and Big Cass.  Competing in his first singles match, as a member of the main roster, was Baron Corbin;  he would fight Dolph Ziggler to a double countout.  Corbin had made his main roster debut at WrestleMania 32, winning the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO: Current Impact Wrestling Knockout Laurel Van Ness (26 years old);  indy wrestler Chelsea Diamond (23 years old);  current Pro Wrestling Wave Tag Team Champion Yumi Ohka (38 years old);  former Impact Wrestling X Division Champion Tigre Uno (36 years old);  former ECW wrestler Ulf Herman (51 years old);  and Combat Zone Wrestling founder John Zandig (46 years old).

Follow me on Twitter at @Bill_Fenbers.